Friday, October 21, 2016

Something a bit different today - I thought I’d share with
you some of my favourite watch videos on youtube. Narrowing it down to just
10 was no easy task, but I decided to choose those that display the genius,
passion and perseverance that goes into watchmaking.

I
can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched this video. Hundreds
of times, at least. The reference 57260 represents the absolute pinnacle of
watchmaking. Only Vacheron Constantin (and possibly Patek Philippe), with
over 200 years of accumulated expertise, could pull off such an incredible
piece.There is, and only ever will be, one of these pieces. Vacheron
Constantin doesn’t care how much money you’ve got (though you
definitely need deep pockets), nor do they care how famous you are. They
have to WANT to make a watch for you. We don’t know who they made it
for or how much it cost, and though I’ll never get to see it in
person I nonetheless consider it a real privilege to see the watch in
action. Inspirational.I’ve heard that Vacheron is working on something else, still
a number of years away, which will top this. How do you beat perfection? I
can’t wait to find out.

#3 The Single Men - Masters of the Incredible and the
Beautiful

#4 Talking Watches With Roni Madhvani

Of
all the people interviewed in Hodinkee’s Talking Watches series, Roni
Madhvani is most certainly the least well known. And yet, at least to me,
his collection is by far the most interesting - but then again I’m a
huge fan of watches with bizarre shapes and daring dials. I mentioned one
of the watches he displays (the Patek 3412) in a previous book review, so
it was exciting to finally see one ticking away. His collection is
absolutely stunning and so very unique.

#5 Invenit et Fecit - A short documentary on
F.P.Journe

F.P. Journe is a modern trailblazer. He’s a truly
rebellious watchmaker who has established an extremely successful brand
while remaining completely independent. His watches aren’t for
everyone (though you really need to see one in person to get a proper idea
of how nice they are), but they’re completely distinct and can be
mistaken for no other.This documentary provides not only an interesting insight into the
man himself but also a good overview of the nature of the industry over the
years.

#6 Our Maison - "Beyond the gesture" by
Jaeger-LeCoultre

I’ve never heard anyone say something bad about
Jaeger-LeCoultre. They make my favourite watch - the Reverso (okay, equal
favourite with the Rolex Prince); they’re innovative, distinct and
have a commitment to quality that is second to none.

#7 Clockwatch: The Daniels Wristwatch

Who was F.P. Journe’s hero? George Daniels. This is the one
name that we talk about constantly here. Simply put, George Daniels
(1926-2011) was the greatest watchmaker since Abraham Louis-Breguet. Nick,
Josh and I read through his seminal Watchmaking book almost every
day (I’ll do a review on that one in a couple of years when I finally
manage to get a proper grasp on it all!), seeking answers, advice and
guidance as we work towards manufacturing components right here in Sydney.
This video is a nice little introduction into the legendary
figure.

#8 Talking Watches With John Goldberger

Probably the next least-well known person Hodinkee has
interviewed, John Goldberger is perhaps the most knowledgeable collector
around. I previously reviewed one of his books and mentioned that the
only reason you need to buy the book is because Mr. Goldberger produced it.
He’s such a cool character and one could listen to him talk for days.
So cool, in fact, that he casually grabs a cheese knife, dusts it off on
his jacket and then proceeds to bust open a two million dollar Rolex 4113
without a moment's hesitation.

#9 John Mayer On The IWC Big Pilot, Past And
Present

I
didn’t want to include three videos from Hodinkee because I wanted to
highlight some of the great content produced by other watch news sites, but
alas, I’m a huge fan of both John Mayer and IWC so I just had to
include this one. I guess I’ll just have to make another
list!There’s nothing overly interesting here, it’s just a
guy having a nice ol’ chat about a brand and model he’s super
passionate about - something I myself love doing with other collectors.
It’s always a blast.

#10 Born To Design Franck Muller Watchmaking -
SolidWorks

Franck Muller is a brand that is totally unafraid to push the
boundaries in all aspects of watchmaking. Their designs are utterly unique
and the mechanics within are always innovative and made to the highest
standard. This video is especially of interest since we’re also using
SolidWorks to design our watches.

Vintage Rolex Sports Models, written by long time
collectors and watch enthusiasts Martin Skeet & Nick Urul, is a
comprehensive reference for any fan of Rolex sports watches. The
‘sports’ watches consists of the Submariner, Sea-Dweller,
GMT-Master, Explorer, Turn-O-Graph and Cosmograph.Each section begins with an overview of the history of the model,
describing the catalysts that lead to its conception, design inspiration,
choice of movement and even how it was marketed.This is followed by each of the model’s references listed
out chronologically with even the minutest changes noted: font variations,
case sizes, movements, bracelets, hands, finishes and everything else that
could possibly differ is described.My
favourite section is without question the one on advertisements &
literature. Full of pamphlets, magazine spreads and other advertising
paraphernalia, it’s a fascinating insight into how Rolex as a brand
and watch innovations in general progressed over the years. It’s
rather amusing to read how watches were marketed in the
1940’s-1990’s: big bold statements like ‘a diver's dream
come true!’ and ‘Rolex conquers Everest!’ were
accompanied by long gushing testimonials from famous wearers and shameless
self-promotion as to how damned good Rolex really is.Need to confirm that you’ve got the right box? Check that
the paperwork matches up? How do you make sense of the serial number?
It’s all here with accompanying photos that’ll help you know
exactly what you’re dealing with.The price guide section is, of course, obsolete now, but such
information is best checked online anyway.There is one thing that I feel detracts from the book, however.
One of my favourite things about watch books is the beautiful photographs
of the watches that make you want to pick up the book time and time again,
regardless of whether you’re interested in the information therein.
Unfortunately, all the pictures of the models and their different
references are seemingly just computer renderings. Good ones at that, but
most of the watches look rather two dimensional and are without any of the
‘character’ that draws people to vintage Rolex.In
fairness, with over 140 models featured and some of them being exceedingly
rare, the authors would have had a hell of a time trying to photograph them
all. As well, some might see this as a good thing as it enables one to more
clearly distinguish the different references, as some of the variations
between them are quite subtle indeed. Nonetheless, I still think it
would’ve been nice to have an actual picture or two in each
section.

If
you’re a serious Rolex collector with a focus on their sports watch
offerings then this book would surely prove to be a valuable asset. The
book was published in 2002 so don’t expect to see any information on
watches produced thereafter. It is, after all, a vintage Rolex book, so if this is what you’re after it
should be perfect for you.